A star alumnus of the Ravenshaw College, a noted scholar of English literature, a prolific writer, a creative artist, an educational administrator Prof Kamala Prasad Mahapatra joined the Odisha Education Service in 1977. Working as a faculty in English departments for 35 years in colleges like Khallikote and Bhadrak and in Ravenshaw PG department of English, he then superannuated as Regional Director of Higher Education. He successfully guided 20 MPhil scholars and 15 PhD scholars. He has attended about 35 national and international seminars with research papers snd chaired 20 national seminars. He has edited many poetry collections, anthologies of short stories and published many books in translation from their Odia originals into English like “Crossed Words”, “Voyage” and “Sir’s Scooter”. His book “Nature Culture Metonymy: A Quest for New Horizon in Jayanta Mahapatra’s poetry is a meaningful treatise that speaks volumes of his critical acumen and perceptibility. Currently, he is the Professor Emeritus in PG department of English at the UN Autonomous College, Adaspur. He is also at present president of Odisha Govt College Retired Teachers’ Association. In an interview to The Pioneer, Dr Mahapatra spokes to Sugyan Choudhury on the prevailing educational imbroglio in the State arising out of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The education system of our State stands derailed owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. How to bring it back to the tracks?
The pandemic broke out at a very crucial time. Of course, matriculation examinations were just over. CHSE examinations were in their last leg. But the semester examinations for +3 and PG studies were yet to be conducted. Even, the syllabus for +3 & PG courses were not covered. Schools and colleges were closed down. An imperative choice before us is online teaching, examinations and evaluation, which I believe is the most viable alternative to retrieve the education system from disruption and derailment. The State Government has taken commendable steps to resume online teaching through diksha app, vedantu app, vidyakul app, doubtnut app, etc. Besides, students can get study materials from the internet. So, there is no reason to sit down with fingers crossed. I would strongly recommend introduction of learning online both in Schools and Mass Education and Higher Education Departments.
Most of the school and college teachers are not techno-savvy. How will they be able to impact e-learning?
You are absolutely right. Our teachers are not techno-savvy. This may be perhaps due to the reason that the Government had not foreseen a contingency earlier because our thrust was on manual or conventional classroom teaching. There is of course no substitute for classroom teaching, but on exigency and compulsion ground we cannot but count on online teaching, e-learning, downloading study materials from internet. Above all, IT orientation programmes, training programmes need to be conducted by IT professionals, trainers, soft skill experts in order to impact intensive training to the teachers so as to make them well-versed in the nitty-gritty of online teaching, interaction, question-answer session, project presentation, examination and evaluation, etc.
Do you think our State is ready at the infrastructural level to avail benefit of e-learning?
Yes, of course, our State is by and large ready to get the benefit of e- learning. A little more initiative is required to renovate the existing computer laboratories in colleges and universities. Odisha is perhaps among a few State to introduce e-admission at the college and university levels since 2010 during which SAMS (Students Academic Management System) laboratories were established across the State including remote areas like Malkanagiri, Kandhamal, etc. The School and Mass Education Department has already made commendable efforts by introducing e-learning through diksha app. So, I believe our State is more or less poised to counter the deadlock caused by the corona pandemic and bring education back to track through the introduction of e-learning for schools, colleges and universities.
How are teachers and students of the backward regions going to cope up in such a scenario? Is it going to create a pandemic apartheid in the education system?
No, no certainly not. Given the highly adorable track record of the Odisha Government in undertaking a lot of innovative measures and attempting to explore new methods to skyrocket like performance of our students under the flagship of 5T by successfully steering forward ambitious projects like “Mo School Abhiyan”, “Mo College Abhiyan”, et al, the apprehension of pandemic apartheid is unfounded. Rather, the Government has been making untiring efforts to provide state-of-the-art IT infrastructure in remote tribal districts. In a welfare state, the citizens have the rights to enjoy equal opportunities. The teachers and students of the backward regions shall obviously receive highly-developed infrastructure. The teachers shall be imparted intensive training so as to enable them to teach online. The teachers and students of backward areas shall definitely cope up with the situation.
Plato once said the best form of education is carried on through classes and conversations. How do you think to bridge the gap between classroom teaching and e-learning?
Yes! Plato said the best form of education is carried on through classes and conversation. But his teacher Socrates had propounded a different method, which was considered to be the foundation of Western pedagogy. Socrates’ method of teaching discourages conventional parroting by the teacher and note memorisation by the students in the classrooms. He rather prescribes an interactive method of teaching as the most effective method that motivates students to actively participate in the process of teaching, which virtually becomes a fun for them, hobby for them instead of becoming a burden or compulsion for them and they show inquisitiveness and passion to learn. E-learning in fact shall replicate the Socratic method of teaching which shall be more beneficial for the students.
What are your suggestions to the Government as to how to prepare its education departments to avail higher Central Government assistance and UGC grants?
The State’s Department of Higher Education has brought about remarkable developments in the field of infrastructure such as laboratory, library, smart classroom, auditorium, gymnasium, teaching and research. All the colleges and universities must try to receive high grading during NAAC accreditation which is possible with good infrastructure, sound academic performance of the students and performance in research by the faculties such as acquisition of Fulbright scholarship, research projects and national and international outreach programmes and projects. Funds from the Central Government and the UGC can be harnessed for development in the areas such as WIFI campus, digitisation of library, smart classroom, well-furnished hostel, well-equipped sports complex, stadium, conference hall, modern laboratory, language laboratory, botanical garden, eco-friendly campus, et al.